The field of the present invention is protective equipment against airborne chemical agents. As early as July 1970, the Department of the Army stated in "Nuclear, Biological and Chemical", Subcourse INO 314, Edition 9, that "U.S. Forces must be organized, trained and equipped to survive and operate effectively in a chemical environment." A variety of countries, including third world nations as well as superpowers, are known to have chemical weapons. To date it is understood that the protection available to individual soldiers requires several minutes to don. During the time required to put on such equipment, the individual is sufficiently exposed to receive a casualty producing dose of chemical agent. Instead, preparation in a matter of seconds is required for appropriate protection. Consequently, a need exists for rapidly deployable individual protection against chemical agents.